Everything You Need To Know About Visiting San Blas Islands, Panama

This blog is our guide to everything you need to know about visiting San Blas Islands, Panama. We recently visited (in December 2023) and made sure to be fully prepared and thoroughly researched before we went! Here is our tips and insight into making your San Blas Islands visit a hit.

San Blas Islands

The San Blas islands are a collection of hundreds of islands located in the waters of Panama. These islands belong to the locals, the indigenous Guna people, who live here and operate all the tours! From habited to inhabited islands, there is SO much to explore in this area with stunning blue waters and island vibes guaranteed.

To get here, it’s usually as a tour from Panama City consisting of a three hour drive to a docking station, and a 30 minute – 1 hour boat ride (depending on the island you’re staying at). The trips are usually all inclusive (transport included if you select this option), requiring you to only bring a small pack of clothes, extra snacks and drinks as required, and be ready to adventure!

Visiting San Blas

There are MANY ways to visit San Blas Islands. These can range from a day trips, overnight trips, island trips, catamaran trips, and so forth. I will link a few options for each below:

• Day Trip: This is the cheapest day trip option we found, and includes everything you need for a quick trip the the San Blas Islands – be ready for a jam-packed day of adventures!
• 2 DAY / 1 NIGHT – Island stay (our recommendation!): Great value for money and the exact trip we took and loved. Stay on an island for one night and have one full day for relaxation, and one full day for adventuring.
• 3 DAY / 2 NIGHT – Private sailboat experience: Although a little bit more expensive, if you are really looking to stay for longer with increased flexibility and a more intimate / private experience, this may be your tour! As it’s private you can really spend your days coming and going as you please, and they can customize the tour based on what you want to see.
• 4 DAY / 3 NIGHT – Island hopping: If you really want to get the island experience and see / experience as many different islands as possible during your stay, this is the one for you.

What We Recommend: Our recommendation is the 1 night and 2 day trip listed above. We met a few couples that were staying for 2-3 nights, and they decided to shorten their stay whilst they were there (which isn’t always possible, by the way). We found this was a perfect way to experience the island relaxed life for a day, see the islands on the second day, and then also be able to fit in as many things in Panama as we wanted after San Blas. Things like weather can have a huge impact on your experience as there’s obviously a limited amount of things to do if you can’t enjoy the best thing about being on the island which is being in the water and enjoying the sun!

Islands VS Catamaran Tours: We preferred to stay on the islands versus on a catamaran, but it depends what type of experience you are looking for and what type of budget you are working with. Being on the island gives you less flexibility for exploring all the islands versus a catamaran, as you are on the tour operators schedule and don’t have your own means of transportation. However, Catamaran’s come usually at a heftier price tag and don’t feel as authentic as the island tours. Both are, however, fantastic options to explore this area.

Our Experience

We booked the 2 day, 1 night tour through Viator and honestly weren’t quite sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised! A rustic but authentic experience awaited us. We had transportation included in our tour, as we wanted to make the experience as hands off and relaxing as possible.

The Island we stayed at on this tour is Island Wailidup, a super small island you can explore in about five minutes. You can swim, snorkel, walk around the island and all your meals are served at the “entrance” to the island – a cute shack at the front where you will be served food, drinks, and hop on/off the boats. Plus the bright blue water is SUCH a pretty sight with the white sandy beach that felt almost completely private during our stay. It’s important to note that only people staying on this island stop here, so it’s not an island that many people day trip to – meaning it is a peaceful stay!

We started off the trip being picked up at 0530 from our hotel (they confirmed the pick up time with us via WhatsApp), which was then followed by an almost three hour drive in a tightly seven packed car en route! You do have one stop at a washroom rest station that does have some few snack, coffee, and drink options if you want to grab some generic stuff en route (but don’t expect too much!). Once we got to the docks to take our boat, we waited for about twenty minutes. There was a washroom here, but it did require 25 cents to enter.

We then were directed to which boat we would be taking. This is where the fun began – we got SOAKED. We were at the back of the boat and the water was relentlessly splashing in our face. Definitely have a towel handy, a dry bag for your valuables, and expectation of getting wet just incase the waves are also not in your favour. The boat ride to the island was about 30 minutes, where we hopped off and got directed to our cabin.

The cabin was SO much more than we were expecting! It was a stunning over the water cabin, with a private walkway leading up to it, a cute little cabin, and a private deck in the back with seating and an area to jump in the ocean. There were two beds and sheets, pillows, and blankets were provided. There was even a fan and over the bed netting. The biggest things we didn’t know about before we arrived is we did have running water – it was salt water (and not potable of course) but we were able to take a quick rinse shower and wash our hands! Plus during the darker hours there is electricity in the rooms. It was so much more than we were expecting and we were pleasantly surprised.

For meals, they always confirmed with us our selected option and timings to be at the entry shack to eat. For lunch/dinner, it was usually some type of seafood (fried fish or squid), fried chicken, with fries or plantains, and maybe some sort of salad / fruit to accompany it. For breakfast it was simple with eggs and bread (and even coffee!). You can buy extra beers, pop, and bottled water at the shack too. It’s a great shack with seating to view the ocean – a meal with a view is what you can expect here! Although it wasn’t anything crazy, we really enjoyed the food here.

We had this entire day to relax and do nothing – which is EXACTLY what we wanted. We napped, read, hung out, swam, and explored the small island taking photos and adventuring. All in between meals of course. Once the day was over, we easily fell asleep to the sound of the waves. When we woke up, we headed to breakfast and checked out of our little cabin of paradise! We waited for about an hour before a boat came and picked us up (with all of our stuff – another reason to pack light) to head out on the day tour.

On the day tour we visited three different islands and a natural swimming pool (an area in the middle of the ocean where you can stand up and also snorkel in hopes of finding starfish). The islands all had different viewpoints and vibes to them, and there was beverages to purchase on all of them (including alcoholic if you’re looking for some added fun!). The main islands we visited were Perro Grande and Perro Chico (for lunch), and an additional island that wasn’t on the original itinerary. Note that depending on weather, the islands and time spent on each could change! After a day of exploring each island, swimming, snorkelling, laying on the beaches, and relaxing our day tour ended at around 1500. This meant we were on the road at about 1530 – 1600, and back in Panama City at about 1900 (depending on traffic of course).

The weather wasn’t great for our trip here which did damper the experience a little bit, but honestly we were able to still enjoy the experience to the fullest. We were able to explore the islands and relax on ours which is what we wanted! The only thing we missed out on was the sun tanning of course, and the stunning sunsets and sunrises that could have been epic to witness if not hidden behind the clouds. But rain or shine, you’ll still enjoy this experience.

All in all, this was SUCH a great trip and we would highly recommend this. Plus it’s SO easy to visit regardless of how much time you’re spending in Panama. We really liked the overnight tour as we found that it was the perfect way to get the San Blas experience by actually sleeping in the overwater cabin and seeing a bunch of islands on the day tour, but also allowed us to have a shorter trip here in general (only two days total) which gave us tons of time to explore all of Panama (as there is SO much to see in this beautiful country). I will say that although we can laze around for a day or so, we are the type of people that like to be busy and experience new adventures, so I don’t think we could have stayed for more than a few days on the islands unless we had new experiences planned for each day – but it definitely depends on the type of experience you are looking for!

What we brought: Definitely pack lightly for your trip here and try to coordinate to leave your large luggage at the hotel. We brought 2 pairs of clothes (including a sweater for night, but it wasn’t too cold), a bathing suit, a towel, sunglasses / hats, phone / book / camera, dry bags (for valuables), cash, important documents, snacks and beverages, flip flops (we only needed these – no other types of shoes were necessary), bug spray, sunscreen, toiletries, and that was about it. You don’t need much to get by here!

Know Before You Go!

• The Islands: All the islands are different, definitely research the island you’re staying on (and the facilities available before booking your trip). Our island sold drinks (beers, coke, water), but not all islands do. On this topic, some islands will not have showers, toilets colocated with our living space, etc. Check this out if you need something specific. 
• Waterproof Your Stuff (DRY BAGS!): You will likely get SOAKED during the boat trips. We sat in the back and everything was wet. Waterproof bags and a face shielding towel are a great idea as there’s limited space to put your bags. On another note, check luggage capacity if you’re concerned with the tour operator. 
• Transportation: Transportation is included. They will contact you the night before to confirm pick up and approximate times. At the docks for onward transportation they will let you know which boat you are getting on. Same thing for return – make sure to take note of who your guide is if you have questions. You are on island time. We wouldn’t recommend booking hard timings during or after your trip here on the same day. Although we were relatively on time for our schedule, the boat can be delayed a little.
• Food: Meals are included. The food is relatively basic. We personally liked it, but everyone has different tastes. It was mostly fish, fried chicken, fries, plantains, and some sort of veggies / fruits. Bring extra snacks & drinks (and water as there isn’t potable water on the island). Beverages are available at extra cost (other than some water or tea/coffee during meal times) usually.
• Conditions: Expect RUSTIC conditions on the island! It’s part of the experience. No cellphone service is expected (but sometimes you may get lucky!). 
• Weather: Weather can definitely impact your experience. The better the weather, the easier it is to enjoy it. However, if it rains it’s still enjoyable – we spent the day inside the cabin relaxing.
• The Locals: The tours are run by the locals (everything on the islands are), which is a cool note! They are super friendly and accommodating we found.
• Cash: You will need to bring cash. This is for the extra fees noted when you book your tour – not ALL are included (be sure to verify), extra drinks you purchase, and for tips as you so please.
• Packing Considerations: We won’t do a full packing list, but some people did note that bug spray was needed. We honestly didn’t need it, but that could be because it was so windy when we visited. We would recommend packing light as possible because lugging your big hard suitcases around isn’t an option here. Talk to your hotel you are staying at to see if they can hold your luggage, or talk to the tour operator if you really don’t have any other options.

Although these all sound like mixed reviews, we had a great time and really enjoyed everything. These are simply noted to manage your expectations. San Blas is truly stunning and worth a stop in our opinion. But it’s definitely important to note the conditions to have a better idea of what to expect! 

See You In San Blas!

We hope this helped you plan and prep for your perfect trip to the San Blas Islands as we truly had such a unique experience here. If you’re looking for more insights, tips, and itineraries for Panama (& other countries of course!) we would LOVE if you checked our our other blog posts or our Thatch page where our itineraries and favourite spots are listed in detailed guides!